broadly

American  

[brawd-lee] / ˈbrɔd li /

adverb

1. across a wide area.

   Seismologists say the earthquake was broadly felt because the hard granite in the area of the epicenter strongly conducts ground motion.

2. to a great extent; widely.

   Which of these principles and values do you think are the most broadly shared by your neighbors?

3. to a similar extent; generally.

   Production is expected to be broadly in line with last year’s, setting us up for another record harvest.

4. in a widely diffused or bright manner.

   The curtains opened, revealing several characters milling about on a broadly lit stage.

5. in a way that is not limited, narrow, or overly specific.

   Network-connected computers are broadly categorized as either servers or workstations.

6. in a plain, clear, or bold manner.

   She knew immediately that the broadly scrawled handwriting on the note was her brother’s.

   Most of the people in these photographs are grinning broadly and looking directly into the camera.

---

Etymology

Origin of broadly

broad ( def. ) + -ly

Explanation

The adverb broadly is useful for describing something that's done in a general or approximate way. If you're broadly describing your new job, you're giving just the basic idea of it and leaving out the details. You're likely to see the word broadly within the phrase "broadly speaking." People often say this to mean "in general" or "on average." The word can also be used in a more literal way to mean "widely," as when you say, "The teacher seemed a little scary until she smiled broadly and welcomed them to class."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

broadly

Management broadly painted an optimistic view of next year, when it expects that companies and governments will look to replenish their inventories and solidify new supply connections as the war reshapes energy markets.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 24, 2026

Wall Street opened broadly stable, with the Nasdaq Composite dipping 0.1 percent as tech stocks continued to struggle.

From Barron's ● Jul. 24, 2026

—Alphabet and Tesla’s capital expenditure lift broadly helped Asian stocks.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026

The company has said, external that it broadly wants to ensure, in part through government policy, that AI technology "benefits all of humanity."

From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026

There was a bar with photographs of boxers on the wall, and a signed poster of a broadly smiling accordion player.

From "The Subtle Knife" by Philip Pullman

Related Words

• commonly
• customarily
• largely
• mostly
• normally
• ordinarily
• publicly
• roughly
• typically
• universally
• usually
• widely